Crossing Paths
by Molahsurey
Summary: It doesn't follow the TV show, Maggie and Daryl meet but their stories are a little bit different.


She ran alone, making her way through the trees and the mud despite her aching and the pain, she fought alone, killing everything that stood in her way, and she was alone in her faith that everything would be alright in the end. She had always been alone; she was used to doing things on her own. But now, even though she wanted to keep going, even though she never wanted to give up, it was getting too hard. It was hard to keep going when you felt like there was nothing to live for, like every torturous effort you made never paid off. No matter how hard she worked to get somewhere she always felt stuck, she could kill dozens of walkers, but there would always be hundreds more. Anyone who saw her would have thought she was strong, but in reality, on the inside, she was weak, so fucking weak. She rushed past trees, moving quickly but as quietly as possible through the forest, her breathing harsh from the nonstop running; it didn't matter where she ended up, she just had to keep moving, she'd go insane if she stayed in one place. Suddenly she heard a whooshing sound go by her and she stopped dead in her tracks, watching as an arrow hit the nearest tree in front of her, and gasped from the sheer surprise of it. She stared at the object stuck in the bark, it was a clear sign of life, but it was also a strong warning that whoever else was in the woods with her was dangerous. Slowly she began to panic as she wondered if the person had been trying to hit her, she was paralyzed with fear, this was so much worse than a walker. Then she heard a voice calling out from behind her.

"Jesus! You scared it off! I had a perfectly good shot at a deer and you had to come and ruin it."

The voice made her tense up, sending jolts of anxiety through her. Her heart began to beat faster as she processed the words, trying to keep calm but failing, she hadn't even seen the deer. She shut her eyes tightly, tears flooding them and threatening to cascade down her face, and tried to hold them back as she slowly turned around, her body shaking. "P-please.. please don't hurt me," she blurted out, unable to control her emotions any longer, her sadness and fear and anguish. She dared to open her eyes for a moment, but after one glance she shut them again and backed away, her tears breaking through the barriers of her eyelids and water-falling down. The man standing before her looked rough and rugged and like someone who could be easily upset, and that scared her even more. She backed up against the tree, shaking more aggressively and crying a bit harder, she had completely lost it.

The man had been on his way to retrieve his arrow, nothing more, so he was shocked when she had that kind of reaction. He stopped just a couple feet away from the woman, concerned confusion on his features, "Whoa, hey, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Hearing him say those words sent a wave of emotion through her, both of relief and weariness, and somehow she cried even harder, shaking her head and slamming her fists into the trunk. She didn't know what to believe anymore, she didn't know who to trust, she wanted more than anything to believe him.

He hesitantly moved closer, holding his hands out to her cautiously, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how. He felt awkward, and nervous, and extremely caught off guard, he wasn't usually one for comforting people, "Hey, sh-sh-shh..." he moved closer and gripped her upset arms, pulling her to him slightly and trying to see her face which kept moving from side to side as she shook her head, "Calm down, calm down!" he urged.

She was hyperventilating, quickly losing every ounce of self-control, but she allowed herself to register his pleas and she finally started to ease up a bit. Taking deep breaths she let his hold on her soothe her and waited until her heartbeat slowed before blinking her eyes open. A shuddering breath left her as she looked into the man's eyes. His eyes were beautiful, they held hope behind them, but also suffering, suffering that mirrored hers. His eyes spoke louder than his words.

He met her gaze with his own, trying to figure out if she was going to stay calm or not, she'd already been too loud for comfort. He took a moment to glance around before looking back to her, "You good? You can't be cryin like that, you'll get us both into some deep shit, and I've had enough of that today." She sniffed and quickly nodded, trying to convey without speaking that she'd keep quiet. He looked her over a moment more before giving his own curt not of approval, "Alright, maybe we should get on our way then, I can show you to my camp." She nodded a bit more weakly now, having tired herself out. With her positive response he took a small step back in order to let her move more freely. It was then that he realized just how tight his grip had been on her, her episode had really worked him up as well. He stayed close to her as she pushed away from the tree and he was going to begin leading her when she suddenly took hold of his wrist, almost desperately.

"Maggie... my name's Maggie," she said quietly.

"Daryl," he replied softly, names had completely slipped his mind. Somehow names seemed so personal these days. She let go of his wrist and let him lead her away, hoping she wouldn't regret it.

But just after they only took a couple steps Daryl turned back around. He went to the tree and pulled out the arrow before holding it up and looking at Maggie, "Can't forget this."


End file.
